Perhaps due to environmental factors, compared to Rivendell, the Golden Wood seemed even more serene and quiet.
Rivendell at least had open skies and mountains to view, while in the Golden Wood one looked up to see golden leaves and white branches, plus dim, gentle lamplight that could only be seen at night.
One was open tranquility, the other was enclosed peace.
Each had its own unique charm.
In the great hall, the lord and lady of the Golden Wood personally entertained Levi.
Celeborn and Levi sat casually on either side of a small table, while Lady Galadriel sat on the same side as Celeborn.
As the banquet unfolded, sounds of harps and flutes rang out around them. Exquisite dishes were brought forth and neatly arranged on the dining table.
Most were sweets and light vegetarian dishes, with a few meat dishes interspersed among them, though these were all placed on Levi's side.
Levi wasn't picky about food. His bottom line was simply that it be edible. When necessary, he could even gnaw on rotten flesh or maggoty bread.
But having good food was naturally best.
Though mostly vegetables and pastries, these dishes were all prepared with considerable care. One could see that effort had been put into each one.
After eating a few bites and a biscuit, Levi was full.
Not because he had a small appetite, but because that biscuit was called lembas... eating one could restore an entire row of hunger points, and it also had effects that could invigorate people.
It had been presented as a separate dish.
Honestly, this cream-colored crispy little biscuit did taste quite good.
After finishing the small piece of lembas remaining on his plate, Levi asked:
"I really like this kind of biscuit. May I take some with me?"
He made a takeaway request.
Having traveled around for two years and been entertained everywhere, Levi had grown accustomed to such occasions. Making requests now felt quite natural, without any embarrassment or awkwardness.
"Of course, we're willing to share with friends."
Celeborn and Galadriel nodded together. With a wave of his hand, he had people prepare some.
"Thank you for your generosity."
"For a hero who can resist Balrogs, no generosity is excessive."
Celeborn praised him, then asked directly:
"Ally, may I ask where the ring on your hand came from?"
"It seems to have extraordinary effects."
"I made it myself."
Levi removed a ring and handed it over, saying: "It contains protective power that can shield its wearer from harm."
The couple across the table exchanged meaningful glances. Finally Celeborn took the ring and examined it carefully before him.
"Protection..."
He murmured softly, then passed this golden ring to Galadriel beside him.
"There are no traces of corruption in it."
After studying it for a while, Lady Galadriel said:
"I can sense it contains only pure protective power."
She shook her head.
Compared to the Ring of Water, this kind of 'protective' power wasn't particularly strong, just simple physical protection that didn't even touch upon concepts of authority.
"As a craftsman's work, this ring is quite excellent. The craftsmanship contained within it is far beyond what mortals could achieve."
"Very impressive."
Celeborn returned the ring with genuine admiration, also setting his mind at ease.
Good. It was just one, no, two rings containing magic, not those Rings of Power.
Then there was no problem.
Both elves breathed a sigh of relief.
This was a human lord who could match dragons and Balrogs. Once he went mad, the harm would be no less than Sauron's. The dawn of a new age might even be marked by him. History books might start with 'That was an age of resistance against an evil lord.'
Fortunately, such things wouldn't happen.
"So then, what is the purpose of this journey by the Legend of the Wild, Dragon-slayer, Founder of Free Cities... Levi Stonecraft?"
Celeborn recited Levi's titles in one breath, his breathing remaining quite steady.
"Was it specifically to challenge the Balrog?"
"No, that was beyond my expectations."
Levi shook his head: "I just thought going through Moria would be shorter, plus there might be some good things inside. Oh, of course, the dwarves and I are allies. They wouldn't mind me taking some things from there."
"I hadn't planned to battle the Balrog from the start. Those orcs were too noisy and woke him from the depths."
"That wasn't in my plans."
After all, if he'd really planned to fight the Balrog from the beginning...
Moria would have to be renamed Deep Water Pit the next day.
"By the way, I also found this there."
Levi pulled out the silver-white hand axe he'd found in the small room.
"This is..."
Galadriel stared at the hand axe for a while, then said: "It has deep connections to Durin's folk. It should be one of their treasures."
"I see."
Levi put the hand axe away.
"I'll return it to the dwarves."
"Good."
Celeborn shook his head, silently picking up his goblet to drink morosely to one side.
His small gesture naturally caught Levi's attention.
Levi blinked, shifted his gaze aside, and smiled awkwardly.
He'd almost forgotten.
This lord didn't seem to like dwarves much. His relative had been killed by dwarves.
That was the beginning of hatred between the dwarven and elven races. The dwarves were harmed by their own greed, killed the king of Doriath, then triggered a series of great wars.
As someone who personally experienced that betrayal, as a prince of Doriath, this lord had no way to feel any goodwill toward dwarves again.
He distrusted and detested dwarves.
If Thranduil were called here, these two would definitely have much in common to discuss.
Add in a drunkard, and they might go fight dwarves after drinking. Then Thorin would have to run over a thousand kilometers to seek help from someone...
"Ah, right."
Levi changed the subject: "To thank Lothlórien for its support, please accept these."
He pulled out two golden apples.
The moment these round, pure objects gleaming with golden luster appeared, the lord and lady across the table were immediately attracted to them.
"I hope these can serve as testimony to our friendly relationship."
"So beautiful and precious."
Lady Galadriel gently accepted an apple, her gaze lingering on it for a long time, obviously quite satisfied.
Celeborn also nodded repeatedly, expressing thanks.
"I will remember this friendship."
Reputation increased again, but it no longer mattered. He didn't lack those points.
Setting aside trivial matters and having given his small gifts, Levi finally spoke the true purpose of this journey:
"I came for the mallorn trees."
"I hope to obtain one of their seeds."
On the way here, Levi had already used his lens to study roadside mallorn trees. The types of magical aspects they contained were identical to silverwood, and in quantity even more abundant.
This meant it might be an even higher quality material than silverwood.
Mallorn trees.
This matter was neither big nor small.
Under normal circumstances, this Golden Wood's unique magical tree species definitely couldn't be shared outside, but there were always exceptions to everything.
Celeborn looked toward his wife. Galadriel nodded at him.
The two reached agreement.
"I'll personally select good seeds for you later."
With business concluded, this rather peaceful reception banquet soon ended.
At this point, Levi began missing a certain gray-robed old man again.
If he were here, this reception banquet would definitely be much livelier. That fellow could find topics with anyone and chat for quite a while.
They needed a wizard here to smooth things over.
Upon leaving the hall, an elf immediately came to serve as Levi's guide.
Looking over, Levi discovered it was an acquaintance.
It was that elven captain.
"We meet again. The guest room is prepared. Please follow me."
He led Levi to a platform with very nice scenery, then prepared to take his leave.
But Levi called him back.
"Wait, what's your name?"
This elven squad leader was obviously somewhat surprised but immediately answered:
"Haldir. That is my name."
"I think you must be a capable warrior elf. When facing the Balrog, I saw you quickly break free from fear and issue counterattack orders."
"Thank you for the praise."
Haldir smiled and said: "These small matters don't prove much. Actually, I'm just a minor border guard, usually responsible for leading squads to protect the northern forest's safety. Besides that, I rarely step outside the forest."
"I see."
Levi nodded: "Could you introduce me to the environment here? I'd like to look around. Is there anything I should be careful about?"
"You are our honored guest. You may go anywhere."
"South from here is the city gate. West and east are platforms and small houses where you can see beautiful scenery. North is a garden that's usually empty and especially quiet at night."
"I understand. Thank you."
"This is what I should do."
Haldir bowed slightly and took his temporary leave.
Levi followed his directions, looking here and there, sometimes running up trees to gaze into the distance and greeting neighboring residents, sometimes running to the riverside to fish alone with his back to the elves.
"Do we have such creatures in our river?" an elf asked in amazement.
"I don't know. I've never seen them."
A nearby elf with some fishing experience shook his head.
"Wait, didn't he not use bait?"
How was that fish caught?!
Strange rumors increased again.
After experiencing the beautiful scenery within the Golden Wood, that night Levi didn't return to his guest room or sleep but walked toward the secluded garden Haldir had mentioned.
The Golden Wood at night was completely still and quiet, as if time had stopped.
Only starlight filtering through leaf gaps and occasional wind sounds proved the flow of things here.
Strolling through the garden, Levi eventually reached a clearing.
His gaze was irresistibly drawn to an object.
It was a silver shallow basin filled with water, placed on a stone platform.
Standing before the platform, Levi could clearly see his own reflection in the water basin.
"Would you like to look?"
An inquiring voice suddenly rang out. Looking back, he saw a figure emanating silver radiance slowly descending stone steps.
"Lady Galadriel."
At this moment she held a small box containing soil, with a silver seed in the center.
"I hope it can grow strong in other places."
"Thank you."
This was the mallorn tree seed.
After placing this silver-white tree seed in Levi's hands, Galadriel walked to the water basin and said:
"The Mirror of Water. It can show you the past, present, and possible futures."
"I'd like to try."
Levi agreed. When he turned his head, he found Lady Galadriel already held a silver water pitcher, pouring water into the basin while saying:
"I cannot prophesy what the mirror will show you, nor can I guarantee that what it shows will definitely come to pass."
"The future is inherently ethereal and illusory."
"If you see things you cannot control, then close your eyes."
"Everything will dissipate like clouds."
"I understand."
Levi stepped forward two paces and again looked down at the water basin.
Lady Galadriel stepped back two paces, quietly waiting.
Ripples stirred in the basin. The mirror no longer showed simple reflections. It began to change.
Levi opened his eyes wide but saw only hollow white.
"Is that my future? A blank white expanse without any color."
"Does this foretell that my future is completely blank?"
Hearing this, Lady Galadriel wasn't particularly surprised. She comforted: "That's no different from what I've seen. Perhaps it just represents uncertainty..."
Before she could finish, a voice suddenly interrupted her.
"No."
Levi corrected: "It's not completely blank."
He opened his eyes wide, finding the scene in the water mirror had changed slightly.
As the image gradually pulled back, Levi's face appeared in the water mirror. Two Levis gazed quietly at each other across the mirror.
The Levi in the water mirror smiled, as if greeting.
But the real Levi got goosebumps, his heart trembling.
He saw that the reflection in the water mirror had hollow white eyes faintly emanating some kind of radiance.
"Is that me?"
"Or..."
"Him?"